Johnny Gray, a former traffic warden in New Ross, was contacted at his home last week and asked specific questions about his and his wife's bank and credit cards.

Mr Gray, of Kilcanlon, Foulksmills, said he received a call from a foreign man who said his bank card was due for renewal.

'He asked for my name and all my bank card details. I gave him the long bank card number and my date of birth and the (CCV) number at the back. He asked where I was born and about where I went to school and how long I was living in County Wexford. I don't know how they picked us.'

Over the course of a half of hour Mr Gray was asked many questions, including about his wife's credit card numbers and he provided them. 'I should have twigged what they were doing. My daughter had warned me about this numerous times.'

In the meantime Mr Gray's wife Angela contacted Bank of Ireland who promptly cancelled the card.

A Garda spokesperson said this follows on from another scam which saw a local woman lose a significant amount of money.

'No details should ever be given over the phone. It's common that people are naïve enough to give their details and then the people will fish for more information. Never disclose your password as many people use the same password for everything.'